Railroad-track.



PATENTED SEPT. 22, 190s. W. GOLDIE. I

- RAILROAD TRACK.

APPLIUATION, PLLEDJWV. 19. 1902.

F0 MODEL.

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Patented September 22, 1903. i

PATENT Fries.

WILLIAM GOLDIE, OF VVILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.-

RAl LROAD-TRAGK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,539, dated September 22, 1903.

Application filed November 19, 1902. Serial No. 131,919. (No model.) i

rails, its object being to provide a track in which the gage can be positively maintained and a rail sufficiently stilt to sustain the heavy loads now carried without raising the height of the rail above the track or tie;

As the weight of both the engines and cars has increased, one of the problems presented to railroad-engineers-has been to provide a track to sustain the increased weight. Though the weight of the rail has also increased, it has been found that there is a limit.

to the height of the rail above the tie, increase of such height increasing the leverage upon the rail-head, the liability of the rocking of the rail and consequent wear on the tie, as well as the spreading of the track, so

that some engineers believe that the limit of weight and stifiness of rails has been reached.

In an application of even date herewith, Serial No. 131,918, I have. described a railroad-track formed of a series of cross-ties suitably supported and having transversegrooves or kerfs in their upper faces and rail-supporting bars having longitudinal depending ribs seated in the kerfs in the cross-ties and on which the rails rest.

The present invention relates to an integral form of the rail structure accomplishing the same end; and it consists, generally stated,

in a railroad-track formed of integral rail structures, each having head, web, and flange portions and having below the flange portion a longitudinal depending strengthening-rib of parallel orvtapering section and a series of cross-ties provided'with transverse grooves conforming substantially in shape to said ribs, the rail-flanges resting upon the crossties and the said ribs being seated in the transverse grooves or kerfs. It also comprises the improvement in the rail itself and certain other improvements hereinafter set forth.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the road-ties.

same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of the railroadtrack. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same. Fig. 3 is a'perspective view of the rail itself. Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line 4 4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line 5 5, Fig. 2.

In the ties 2 I form the grooves or kerfs 3 a suitable distance apart to give the exact gage of track desired, such kerfs being either formed in the making of the ties or out in the ties when forming part of the roadbed either when providing for the substitution of the rails of the present invention in the place of rails previously used or in the laying of new track. The ties may of course be of any suitable material, the invention being illustrated in connection with the ordinary wooden rail- The rails 4: are formed of the ordinary rail construction, having the head 5, the web 6, and the flange 7, the flange being preferably rolled with a fiat base, as at 8, so as to seat itself properly upon the cross-ties; but projecting downwardly from this flange portion and extending longitudinally of the rail-body-is thestrengthening-rib 9, which, as shown, is located directly under the body of the rail and in line with the web portion and projects downward] ya sufficient distance to give a long continuous stiffening-rib,which acts to add very largely to the strength of the raihbody, as it is practically a continuation of the web 6 below the flange 7. The actual vertical height of the rail is therefore extended for the width of the depending rib 9, the stiifening action increasing materially in proportion to the actual height of the rail, so that by a rib, which need not be as deep as the web portion of the rail, the strength of the rail is almost doubled. The depending rib 9 has parallel or tapering side walls, being of as great or greater section at its base close to the rail-flange as at its outer end. It is preferably made slightly tapering, so that when it enters the kerf 3 it will seat or wedge itself in the same and prevent transverse movement of the rail on the tie and also prevent entrance of moisture into the kerf and rotting of the tie. The grooves or kerfs 3 are made to conform substantially in shape to these depending ribs 9, either having straight the kerfs and seat themselves therein.

. sible spreadingaction.

side walls or being slightly tapering, and

thereby being practically filled by the ribs seated therein.

In constructing the track with myimproved rail in making new track the cross-ties with the kerfs cut or formed in them, as above stated, are laid in any suitable way, supported by any suitable ballast, and the rails rest upon the ties, the flanges 7 resting upon the tiebodies 2, while the depending ribs 9 fit into The rails themselves have thus a firm bearing upon the tops of the ties, which can be properly shaped toreceive the rails if the bases of the rails are not absolutely flat, and the depending ribs enter and are seated in the kerfs of the ties and hold the rails against any pos- The rails maybe held to the ties byspiking orany other suitable way and may be joined by the ordinary angle-bars or any other suitable device. The angle-bars 11, by which the rails are connected, may extend over the edges of the rail-flanges and in position to receive the rail-spikes 13, which bind the structure to the. tie.

In the use of the invention practically perfect alinement is obtained, and there is practically no liability of the spreading of the track, as the downwardly-projecting ribs of the rails fitting into the kerfs are supported against such spreading action by the full width of the tie. As the grain of the tie in wooden ties is cut across in forming the kerf and the tie-body extends for a foot and a half or more beyond the rail, and, further, as the rails rest directly upon the ties and bind the parts firmly together and prevent the outward strain from raising the wood under the pressure brought upon the depending ribs, there is practically no liability of the wood of the ties yielding under the strain. The rails also cover the ties and the kerfs formed in them and prevent the entrance of water into said kerfs, so that there is little or no liability of the rotting of the ties on account of the cutting of the kerfs across the same.

While the bodily height of the rail is thus increased by the addition of the projecting rib and the rail is correspondingly stifl'ened and enabled to sustain much heavier loads, the flange portion of the rail is not raised above the supporting-ties and the difficulty of the leverage incidental to the employment of a high rail is overcome, so that without adding much to its weight or anything to its height above the tie a rail adapted to sustain nearly double the strain is obtained. Each tie through the employment of the depending ribs entering the kerfs formed in the ties forms practically a tie-rod to keep the track in gage, making track-spreading an impossibility except by destruction of the track. The rail can be produced at but little more cost than the ordinary railroad-rail, as the increase in weight is added at the point where it serves to give the greatest stiffness. Modifications of the invention may of course be made without departing from the broad principle herein set forth.

What I claim is 1. The combination in a railroad-track, of integral rails each having a head, web and flange and below the flange a longitudinal depending strengthening-rib of parallel or tapering section, and a series of cross-ties provided with transverse grooves conforming substantially in shape to and adapted to form seats for said depending ribs.

2. A railroad-rail having a head portion, an integral web portion and a flange portion, and provided with a-longitudinal depending strengthening-rib of parallel or tapering section.

3. A railroad-rail having a head portion, an integral web portion and a flange portion, and provided with a longitudinal depending strengtheningrib of parallel or tapering section directly under the web portion of the rail.

In testimony whereof I, the said WILLIAM GOLDIE, have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM GOLDIE.

Witnesses:

ROBERT C. TOTTEN, G; 0. RAYMOND. 

